PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lazar, Ann
AU  - Kaur, Rupinder
AU  - Rowe, Dorothy
TI  - Hearing Difficulties Among Experienced Dental Hygienists: A Survey
DP  - 2015 Dec 01
TA  - American Dental Hygienists Association
PG  - 378--383
VI  - 89
IP  - 6
4099  - http://jdh.adha.org/content/89/6/378.short
4100  - http://jdh.adha.org/content/89/6/378.full
SO  - J Dent Hyg2015 Dec 01; 89
AB  - Purpose: Assess prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulties among experienced dental hygienists who have been practicing for a minimum of 20 years and explore the relationship between hearing difficulties and occupational noise exposure from ultrasonic scalers.Methods: A 19-item survey was mailed to a random sample of 1,067 dental hygienists who had obtained their California licenses between 1972 and 1992. To estimate the prevalence of hearing difficulty, binomial proportion and associated 95% confidence interval are presented. Logistic regression model of hearing difficulty was used to assess an association with ultrasonic scaler use.Results: Response rate was 35% (n=372/1,067). The prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulty was 40% (95% confidence interval, 35 to 44%). Of the 17% (95% confidence interval, 14 to 21%) of respondents that reported hearing difficulty due to ultrasonic scalers, most (91%) reported that their hearing difficulty was confirmed by an audiologist. Respondents with hearing difficulty due to scalers were 2-times (odds ratio: 2.0, 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 3.6, p=0.03) more likely to report significantly higher scaler use than those who did not have hearing difficulty after adjusting for age and other potential causes of hearing difficulties.Conclusion: The prevalence of hearing difficulty at 40% among dental hygienists with an average age of 56 years was considerably higher than the reported national average at 17% for adults 70 years or older. Long-term noise exposure to dental equipment, such as ultrasonic scalers, may contribute to hearing difficulties among experienced dental hygienists. Ear protection is suggested as a preventive measure while using noisy dental equipment.